Food legislation and food safety – April 2026

Food Contact Materials (FCMs) – rules and regulations
EU: EFSA is preparing a scientific output detailing the information necessary for the safety assessment of hazardous bisphenols other than BPA and their derivatives, when used in FCMs for specific applications. In March 2026 a public consultation was launched on the related draft.
India: Keller and Heckman reports that the FSSAI has issued a draft amendment (802 kB, scroll down for English) adding a number of definitions to the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018. The consultation closes 10 May 2026.
Thailand: FPF reports that the WTO has been informed that the new paper and board regulation has been delayed by a year to 22 June 2027. The regulation increases chemical safety controls for paper and board FCMs. The new standards are aligned with Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) XXXVI recommendations and Council of Europe guidance. Where plastic coatings are present, compliance with Thailand’s plastic food contact regulation would also be required.
UK: Keller and Heckman reports that the government has published a news story on the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement which is expected to be implemented by mid-2027. FCMs is one of the sectors now covered by the SPS Agreement. Once the Agreement is in place, FCMs that are cleared for use at the EU level may be marketed in GB; separate GB authorisations would no longer apply.

Claims, marking and labelling – rules and regulations
EU: The EC has published a briefing (286 kB) on the proposed adjustments to Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on organic products. The proposal would revise the labelling rules for imports from equivalent third countries, allowing the EU organic logo to be used only when additional EU requirements are met.
NL: In 2025, 25.4% of the turnover of food in Dutch supermarkets was achieved by products with an independent sustainability label. This is according to the latest figures from the retail sustainability label monitor (in Dutch) by Circana and True Food Projects.
US: The FDA is working on a new front-of-package nutrition label. The proposal would require a small “nutrition info” box listing saturated fat, sodium and added sugars with a rating of “low,” “medium” or “high.” However, to make nutrient content easier to understand, UC Davis researchers suggest that front-of-package labels should only flag products that are high in a specific nutrient. In a study (1.45 MB) published in The Lancet Public Health, “high in” label designs outperformed the FDA’s proposed label in helping participants quickly identify healthier choices.

Health risks of plastic-packaged ready meals
Ready meals and takeaways promise convenience – hot food, fast. The labels on the plastic trays reassure us that they are ‘safe’ to heat in a microwave or oven. But are we exposed to potentially dangerous microplastics and chemical additives along with our food? Greenpeace International found that the plastics we use to package our food are exposing us to health risks. The report Are We Cooked? The Hidden Health Risks of Plastic-Packaged Ready Meals (3.03 MB) analysed 24 research scientific studies.

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